Bring on the Rain
by Scotia Daniel
Summary: Marshall Lee didn't know why the young adventuress would come to him in the dead of the night, but he never had the heart or will to stop her.
1. What the Rain Dragged In

The first time she came to him was when rain fell hard in all of Ooo. The clap of thunder rattled Marshall Lee's blinds and the flashes of lightning outside of the cave lit up the darkest corners of his room, the wind howled like an animal that had lost its young.

Resting on his couch, Marshall was partially sucked into his television set, partially sucked into his thoughts. Now and then the screen would haze up or cut out, the sound clear at times and indistinguishable at others, even with his vampire hearing.

It must have been around one or two in the morning when he heard soft pitter patter in the mouth of the cave. He dismissed it as the rain, but listened as the pitter patter grew louder and louder until it fell silent at the foot of his front door.

Marshall felt his hand slide around the neck of his base guitar. He knew no one would be foolish enough to walk right into his home. Unless they had a death wish, that is.

But Marshall was surprised to hear the front door gently slide open and closed shut gingerly, as though whoever his intruder was didn't want to make known their presence. Oh, what a moron.

He listened intently for his "guest." For a long few minutes, he heard nothing. And he wondered if it had all been his imagination. Just as he began to loosen his grip on the guitar, he heard the scuffling of feet on carpet.

Marshall closed his eyes. The steps headed for the ladder to his room. After what seemed like hesitation, the intruder retreated for the kitchen, circling around to come to the ladder again.

His eyes shot open as the intruder climbed the railings to the second floor. Marshal stood up, guitar in hand, and waited. His undead heart did a flip in his chest when he saw bunny ears pop up out of the hole in the floor following by two blue orbs.

"Glob! Fionna! You nearly scared me to life! I could have killed you!" He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her small body onto the boards of the second floor. Marshall observed the shivering girl. She was drenched from head to toe, bunny ears drooping on both sides from soaking up the rain. Her skin was pale, allowing the heat in her cheeks to pinken her face.

Fionna stood there, staring off into space. What had gotten into her? Marshall sighed, floating into the bathroom and coming back out with a crimson towel, wrapping it around his best friend. "Fi, why are you here? Does Cake know?"

Again, Fionna remained silent. She stared at the ground in complete concentration, her breaths long and varied. Marshall felt himself furrow his eyebrows, leading her into the bathroom.

"Fi...you should take a warm bath. I'll find some dry clothes you can borrow. You can stay for the night. I don't want you walking in that rain. You could catch your death."

Marshall let the water run and set a towel out for her. He closed the door behind him, hearing wet clothes fall to the tile and the young adventuress carefully slide into the tub. He knew if he had been alive, his face would be red. But he had no time to think about that right now.

He searched his closet, settling on an oversized band t-shirt he never wore and some sweatpants his ex had given up once upon a time ago. He floated to the bathroom door, hesitating before setting down the clothing items in front of the bathroom.

Marshall counted the minutes in his head, only stopping when he heard the drain pop in the bathroom and the water rush out. He turned his back when the door opened. "You can borrow the clothes I've set on the ground for ya. I hope they fit."

After what seemed like forever, Marshall heard the distinct sound of Fionna picking up the clothes. He waited for the door to close so he could turn around again, but the only sound that echoed through the room was the pitter patter of feet. Marshall Lee didn't know what was more shocking, the fact that his best friend was just in a towel or the fact she had her arms around his stomach, hugging him from behind.

"Fi...what's gotten into you?" It took all of his might not to stutter and try to pry loose the tight grip the female behind him had on his body. Finally, tired of being gentle, Marshall firmly took both of her wrists and turned around. The towel was tightly wrapped around her body and the vampire had to fight himself from gazing down any lower than her neck line.

Fionna's long blonde hair fell in waves down her back, drenched from both the rain and the bath. The steam had brought colour back to her skin, face pinker than it had been before. He gave her the most serious look he could pull off without being terrifying, but Fionna didn't shrink back. She didn't look away or shiver or anything. She just mocked his look.

Marshall Lee, out of surprise, felt his hands loosen around her wrists. Fionna grabbed his sleeves and pulled him down into a kiss. The vampire took a few uneasy steps backwards, shakily finding the wall of his room behind him.

He found himself torn between pulling away and kissing back. Marshall felt his hand reach up for her waist, but stopped, hands awkwardly shaking in mid air.

Fionna tore her head back, inhaling deeply. "Fi, I-I don't think we...I-I don't think-" He watched as her face furrowed with anger, tugging his face down and kissing him fiercely. She dug her fingers into his hair, holding his head to her.

Marshall finally let temptation get the best of him and kissed back. His hands took hold of her toweled hips, letting the young adventurer snuggle up closer to him. Was it just a one time thing? Had something happened with Gumball? Would either one of them regret this?

Fionna jerked her head away and pushed him onto the couch. Clumsily, Marshall struggled to sit up, trying to make sense of the event unfolding in front of him. "Fi..."

The blonde girl climbed onto his lap, straddling his hips. Marshall Lee fought back a groan, eyes wandering the room dazed. Should he stop her? Should he let her continue? What would Cake think? Is he taking advantage of her this way? Was he wrong? Was she wrong?

He broke out of his thoughts when Fionna brought his head forward and kissed him again. She pinned his wrists to the top of the couch, bringing his lower lip into her mouth and sucking.

Marshall shuddered, kissing the girl back with as much force. He loved the feel of Fionna struggling beneath his lips for dominance. They both knew she could never win. He was a vampire. He was stronger. He was a guy.

Fionna broke away from his mouth and trailed kisses down his neck. Marshall Lee shuddered, resting head back against the wall.

The vampire felt the girl hesitate around the bite marks on his throat. He closed his eyes, feeling her breath tickle his skin. Finally she laid a long, gentle kiss on the marks before proceeding down to his collar.

A moment flew by where nothing happened. Marshall wondered if she finally had second thoughts on this. On everything. Her reason for being there and kissing him. He felt her hands leave his wrists. Marshall couldn't help but feel disappointed.

When he began to open his eyes, shock filled his body when two small hands vigorously began to unbutton his shirt. Marshall's eyes flew open and he grabbed her wrists, feeling the coolness of the night air on his bare chest. "Fi...I don't think-" "Don't fight it Marshall."

Marshall felt the shock leave his body, staring into Fionna's flustered face. Her blue eyes stared at him so intensely with a look he hadn't seen on her before. It scared him. The vampire felt his grip loosen on the female and fully let his arms drop to the love seat.

Taking deep breaths, Fionna shakily reached for Marshall's shirt, sliding it off of his muscular arms and tossing it aside. She took in his toned chest and Marshall realized that it had been the first time all night Fionna had a look of uncertainty on her face, a shy blush creeping across her cheeks.

She brought her hands to his shoulders and sliding it down inch by inch, taking in his features. Marshall Lee loved how one minute she had been so confidence, and with one little thing she reverted back to the Fionna he was used to. The Fionna who let her guard down around him. The Fionna who was so strong for other people but became timid when it was just him and her.

Bringing her face back up, Fionna gave Marshall a look she had only given to PG years ago. He felt himself choke up. Fionna bent down and placed her hands on his cheeks, pulling him into a kiss that melted every fiber of his being. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she rested her hands on the back of his neck.

Pulling away, Fionna stepped off of Marshall, trembling. She stood a foot or two away, bashfully looking at Marshall's feet. Before Marshall could ask what she was doing; Fionna let her towel drop.

Marshall stared, mouth hanging open. He hadn't expected that. Oh god, what will Cake say? Fionna held her arm, staring at the ground, face as crimson as the towel she had been wearing moments ago.

Taking his silence as a rejection, Fionna stumbled, picking up the towel and trying to cover herself. "I'm so sorry, Marshall. I shouldn't...I...I need to leave..." She turned to retreat into the bathroom. The adventuress was quick, but Marshall was quicker.

He reached out, grabbing her arm and turning her around. She fell against his chest and Marshall held her to him. "Fi...you're beautiful." Marshall felt the girl cling to his naked torso, running his fingers through her hair.

Gently, she pushed him back onto the couch. She climbed onto his lap. Hands trembling, she fingered the zipper on of his Levi's, tugging on the metal object. As if the zipping sound had stolen her shyness, Fionna didn't let a second pass and tugged off his jeans. Marshall Lee bit back a moan, feeling Fionna slide off of his legs and tugging his pants off one leg at a time and tossing it behind her.

"Fi...I...is this really smart? Did something happen? I-" She cut him off with a finger to his lips. One look into her eyes and he forgot why he was protesting again.

Fionna brought her lips to his throat and trailed kisses down his collar, leaving marks on his chest and belly. Marshall allowed a small groan escape his lips, closing his eyes. He reached for her. But Fionna pinned his wrists back on top of the couch once more.

Marshall Lee was a strong guy. He could easily snap Fionna in two if he wanted to. He could break every bone in her and kill her with one blow to the head. But the way she touched him, the way she kissed him, the way she refused to let him have his way made him feel so damn weak. He was on the fine line between loving it and hating it.

Fionna slid his last article of clothing off, so now they had nothing but air separating them. The two stared long and hard into one another's eyes, daring the other to make a move. Any move.

The adventuress leaned down, taking the vampire by the lips. That night, she made love to him, not allowing him to hold her or kiss her. Marshall Lee gave her the control she wanted. Whether Fionna really was there because she loved him or not, Marshall didn't want to think about that. He closed his eyes, head back, feeling the thousands of kisses the blonde girl planted on his cool skin. He felt himself shaking under her hands, gasping for air he didn't need.

The room was filled with silent words. Words they didn't have to say. Marshall couldn't figure out if he were saying her name in his head or out loud, but her name never sounded sweeter. Fionna rested her head in the crook of his neck, cleaning to him as if he were the world's anchor.

Whether it had been minutes ours, days or centuries, Marshall didn't dare open his eyes until he felt the girl collapse to him in exhaustion. Trembling, he pushed all of her stray hair behind her ears and held her waist, shaking.

When he woke up hours later, Marshall found her gone along with the clothes she had worn in the night. A blanket had been strung around him and the vampire couldn't find the will to sit up and make sense of what had happened. Would things be different from now on? Would she come back? For him? Would she leave him for Gumball now that he had given her what she had wanted?

He swore, weakly pounding the couch's arm. How could he have allowed himself be seduced like that? Marshall had let his feelings for Fionna get in the way of many possible realities. He saw the pink prince in his vision and he never had felt that angry towards someone before in his life.

But Marshall couldn't let his anger control him. PG was his bud. His friend. His homey. And he couldn't hate the person Fionna cared about the most. The vampire closed his eyes, feeling a sob rip from his chest but no liquid escaped from his eyes. He weakly turned over, closing his eyes and burying his face into the couch, falling into dreams about a blond adventuress, her name escaping his lips before allowing darkness to take him.


	2. When Winter Came

The second time she came the night air was chilly and leaves had turned from green to orange and brown, tumbling to the ground in heaps of autumn. It had been weeks since Marshall saw hide or hair of Fionna. Part of him was glad. The other craved to see the adventurer. Every time he found himself in her neck of the woods, he'd hesitate before retreating into another part of Ooo, hoping he wouldn't run into her, another part hoping he would.

After not hearing from the girl for a week, Marshall resulted to locking his doors. He thought that maybe by not giving her an easy way in, she'd leave. Did he want her to leave? No. He honestly didn't. But he thought it would be for the best. The night Fionna visited him was one of the best nights he had had in centuries. Not that he would admit that to anyone. But Marshall didn't want to sound like he was boasting that he had slept with Ooo's precious human.

By locking his doors, Marshall hoped that it would protect him from hurting her. He'd snort every time he rolled those words over in his head. Hurt HER? More like HIMSELF get hurt. But when he thought that, he'd slink into his clothes feeling like the scum of the planet. He resorted to just thinking locking the door would stop each other from hurting the other.

When his cable cut out, even after having the vampire whack the box multiple times, Marshall resulted to take a long hot shower. He'd resorted to taking more and more showers after Fionna had invaded his house weeks ago. Not to wash away HER, but the thoughts of HER. It never worked. The water would remind him of her drenched blonde curls, the rain that consumed her journey to him. Remind him of the towel that covered her delicate frame and the orbs that occupied her sockets.

It must have been around midnight when he heard a light thud in his living room. Dismissing it as his zombie cat, Marshall continued to hum, letting the warm water run over the coolness of his living dead skin.

Marshall could have sworn he heard shuffling from the ladder leading up to his room. He ducked his head under the running water. 'No one is in here. The doors and windows are locked. There was no sound of anything breaking; you are ALONE.'

The sound of his bathroom door opening snapped Marshall out of his denial, swinging around to see Fionna standing before him.

Anger more than shock overwhelmed him. He didn't bother covering up. There wasn't anything she hadn't seen before. "Fionna! What are you-how'd you-?" His anger melted when he really took in her appearance.

Her shirt and skirt were torn apart, some parts covered in stains of blood. A black eye was forming on her left side and one of her bunny ears had been torn off. Bruises were forming on her arms, draping over goosebumps from the cold night.

"Fionna...what happened?" He reached behind him to turn off the water, but upon seeing his action, Fionna clumsily tore off her shirt, revealing her bra. One strap had been cut, bruises forming along her collar. She slipped off her skirt and discarded the rest of her clothing, painfully hopping into the shower with the vampire.

"Fi, we gotta get you home. We gotta-" She slapped his hand away from the bath's knob and threw herself at him, kissing him fiercely. Holding onto his shoulder with one hand, Fionna kept the vampire's face to her by tangling her hands into his raven hair.

Marshall tried to break away. To get her patched up. To find out what had happened to her. This had to be wrong. He had to be wrong. He felt so ashamed when his body reacted to the harshness of her kiss, his lips swelling up and his body burned with lust. He felt hopeless. And he hated that. So much.

When she broke away to breathe, Marshall swung her gently around and pressed her to the bathroom's wall. "Fionna, you need to tell me what happened to you. Who did this to you? We need to patch you up. We gotta-"

"Please, Marshall. Stop. Just stop." Her plead ripped from the bottom of her chest. Like a sob. She shook in his grasp, tears building up in her eyes. Marshall felt his eyes soften. "Fi..." "Please Marshall. Just let me...just please...I need you. Oh, glob Marshall I need you. Please...just...please...don't ask questions. Just..."

Marshall didn't let her finish her sentence. He knew he'd regret this in the morning, but he didn't need her to explain. Not just then, at least.

He kissed her deeply, cupping her face in his hand. She brought her arms up, holding onto his arm and closed her eyes as tightly as she could, letting the tears escape her eyes.

Marshall snaked the other arm around her waist. Fionna let out a whimper. He held onto her securely, not ever wanting to let her go. Not ever wanting anything in the entire world to hurt Fionna. HIS Fionna.

Gently, Marshall lifted her up, Fionna's back resting against the bathroom's walls. He drew his mouth down her jaw to her neck, leaving a hickie that mocked the place his bite marks were before dragging down, letting his teeth grace the delicate skin of her breasts and stomach. He loved the feel of her shiver under his grasp.

Bringing his head up and snuggling it under her chin, he sucked in an unneeded breath, basking in the smell of her hair. Licking his lips and wrapping both arms around her waist, he uttered barely over a whisper: "Are you sure?"

After a moment that felt like a century, feeling her heart beat like the wings of a humming bird. Inhaling, her answer came out like the wind: muffled and lingering. "Yes."

Marshall nodded his head, the shower's water hitting his back long forgotten. He lowered her down onto himself, closing his eyes and concentrated on her muffled breathing. Her breath hitched when he was fully inside of her.

Marshall took that opportunity to memorize the curves his arms fondled, the warmth that radiated from her and how good she felt. Fionna began to lift off of him and dropped back down, causing the vampire to shudder. When he tried to lift her himself, she brought her head down and gave nipped at his skin. It of course didn't hurt him, but he kept his arms firmly around her waist not to help anymore, but to cling to when his body felt like it was going to fall apart.

Fionna had her way just like she had before. She kept the pace agonizingly slow, hiding her face in the crook of his neck, shakily breathing and moaning lightly. The shower's water drizzled down their bodies, soaking them in warmth.

The vampire thought he was going to explode. She was torturing him. He didn't think he could handle the way Fionna made him. Did she realize how crazy she made his body feel?

When he came, he realized she was far from being done. He turned them around, resting his own back against the wall and setting the girl on him down and leaned his head back, sweating and breathing deeply.

She slid down his body, letting her hands trail down his chest, belly and fell to her knees in front of him. He sucked in air when he felt the adventuress take him into her hand, caressing his length. Marshall clung to the wall, hissing and squeezing his eyes shut.

Marshall felt Fionna smirk in his skin, her lips trembling. He knew her confidence was forced. He didn't have the heart to erase that. Sh kissed and sucked, driving Marshall into a frenzy. He wanted to grab her head so bad, but all he could do was cling to the wall.

When he felt his body spazz, he let out a gasp and came. Fionna took his hands and dragged him down into the tub with him, turning off the water. She hugged him to her, his head not quite on her breast but right above. She held him in her arms, his limp body resting against her, legs sprawled across the tub, Fionna's on either side of him. She hummed into his ear, running on hand through his hair and the other down his back.

He was lured to sleep, feeling her vocal cords vibrating in her chest, the sweet sound that came from her lips. How did she have this much power over him? Why was she doing this? Did she really love him? Marshall felt his eye lids droop, sleep sneaking up on. He felt a sob rip through his chest before allowing sleep to take over him.

When Marshall woke up in the morning, he wasn't surprised to find her gone. Blankets and pillows had been tucked around him. He took in a shaky breath, smelling the scent of vanilla lingering the room. The smell of Fionna.

The land of Ooo was used to hearing sounds of all sorts. Sounds of happiness. Sounds of sadness. Sounds of anger and laughter. But no sound could ever compare to the howl that echoed through the blue house and along the walls of the tavern that erupted from the chest of Marshall Lee the Vampire King.


	3. Confiding in Candy

When the castle of Candy Kingdom came into view, Marshall began to have second thoughts. The little cookie cutter homes that bordered the castle made him sick. And the idea of seeing the pink prince made him sicker. It had been a long time since the vampire had been to the kingdom, and in his opinion it was far too soon. The vampire sucked in air and flew on farther to the castle.

Marshall knew he had no reason to be secretive, but he hovered over an open window, looking around before sliding in. Finding himself in a long hallway, the vampire sniffed the air and smiled, floating in the direction his nose had been leading him to.

Every noise and distant laugh that echoed somewhere in the castle made Marshall jump. He'd burn with angry embarrassment before realizing he was still alone and he was still the "big bad vampire."

His nose led him to the castle's kitchen. Marshall smirked upon seeing no other than the gum wad himself baking over a pink stove. For a split second, Marshall forgot why he was originally there in the first place as he quietly slithered through the door, floating along the ceiling and hovering close behind the prince. Marshall began to whiten his eyes and pull his lips back to make an unholy his.

"Hello, Marshall! Good to see you again!" Gumball slid off his oven mitts and hung them up before turning around to greet the vampire, sticking his hand out. Marshall let out a groan, letting his arms droop and threw his head back.

"Gotta troll harder, dude." Gumball chuckled. "So what brings you to my side of Ooo? I haven't seen you in, what, centuries?" The prince cracked a smile. Marshall couldn't help but smirk back. "Cute. But it's been about a year." The vampire leaned back, kicking his feet up and floated lazily few feet away from PG.

"What brings you to my neck of the woods? Miss me?" Marshall snorted. "Hardly." The two exchanged smirks. "Then what? Tea party?" Marshall grimaced at the idea of sitting at one of gum wad's tea parties. "Have you seen Fionna lately?"

Prince Gumball leaned against a counter and thought. "No, not recently. She stopped visiting regularly months ago. Don't ask me why, I have no clue myself. I've been quite busy. Why? Has she been visiting you?"

Marshall thought about telling PG what had been going on with him and the adventuress. The prince was a good listener and gave great advice. But he had fancied Fionna not that long ago. Did he still? Marshall retreated with his original thought and licked his lips. "Yeah, we hang out from time to time." That was true. In it's own, messed up way. But it hadn't been like that before.

Gumball nodded, scratching his chin. Just then, the oven's timer went off. "Ooo! My strudel is ready!" Marshall snorted again, retaining his laughter as he watched the prince put on his mitts again and take out his precious cargo like a kid in, well, a bakery.

"I wonder why she hasn't hung out with you in so long." Marshall pondered out loud. "I know. I have too. Cake stops by for tea with Monochromicorn and I. But she never brings up Fionna anymore. Hasn't for a long time. I suppose now that she's no longer thirteen she can do whatever she pleases."

PG looked down at a watch on his wrist. "I would love to stay and chat, but I have a dinner I need to attend to." He sighed with a dreamy look on his candy face. "I would ask you to join, but I'll save my breath. I think I know your answer already."

Marshall could only nod, lost in thought. "I'll see you in a month. You'll receive an invitation in a matter of days. Good day!" The prince strolled by the vampire. The click clack of his shoes faded out, only fully disappearing when the door to the kitchen had been closed behind PG.

What had gotten into Fionna? It wasn't like her to miss tea. She and Cake looked forward to it every Sunday in the past few years he's known her. Marshall felt even more frustrated than he had before he came to confide in the candy prince.

Opening the door soundlessly and floating through, Marshall looked both ways before escaping to an open window. Standing on the ledge, he looked out over the kingdom. The houses glowed in the night air, making the trees and mountains in the background dark and gloomy compared to how festive the people made their kingdom. In the sky, the moon shone large, creating silhouettes out of the natural resources that plagued Ooo.

There were a lot of questions that needed to be asked. A lot of answers that needed to be found. As Marshall observed the candy land, he realized he wasn't going to find what he wanted there. But if not there, then where?

Floating slowly, he inched his way up the castled until the very top. In the far distance, Marshall could see the distinct shape of Cake and Fionna's tree fort. If it had been anyone else, the fort would look like a dot. But Marshall wasn't just anyone.

Gazing at the sky, Marshall estimated the sun's birth to a new day would be in ten hours. He thought about going home, but was afraid of what, or who, he might find if he strolled to spend the remainder of his night there. He'd be there all day to wait out the sun, but that's a different worry.

Marshall flew across the sky, hovering now and then lost in thought. Staring at the moon, the vampire closed his eyes and breathed in. Opening his eyes, he flew towards the mountains and away from the land of candy, his home, and most importantly Fionna. Marshall wasn't the kind to run away. He felt like it solved nothing and just made you look like a coward. But Marshall needed time to think without being interrupted by anyone or thing.

Being led by the moon, Marshall flew through the night piecing together an idea that he knew would either be the beginning of something good or something he might regret for the rest of his undead, immortal life.


	4. Turning Tables

To the vampire, time was limitless. Hours could go by and it could feel like seconds. Days and months could fly but it would only feel like minutes. That was one of the things Marshall really loved about being a vampire. Of course, at times, he wished time would slow down. But as he hovered in a dark corner under part of the Tree Fort's roof, Marshall was thankful for how quickly time flew by for him.

Marshall listened to Cake's voice echoing through the halls, but was surprised not to hear the young adventuress's as he hovered in his secret space throughout the young of the night.

The vampire peered at the sky. It couldn't have been later than midnight. Cake's voice had died down sometime hours before, but Marshall wanted to count his blessings before intruding on the cat and her sister's bedroom.

Lightly pushing on the window, Marshall was thrilled to see the blonde girl had recklessly left it unlocked. For him? Probably not. He poked his head in before slithering into the room the rest of the way.

Fionna's room was dark. The only light that penetrated the living quarters was from the light of the moon outside. Marshall didn't bother hiding. Not just yet. He listened for the faint breathing of the girls but was disappointed when the only sound he heard was the gentle noise nature made outside.

Marshall took note of the room finally and nearly chocked on air. Fionna's room wasn't DIFFERENT per se, but Cake's things had been cleaned out. The dresser where she had slept before now just contained clothes of blues and yellows and its shelved were stacked with pictures and weapons Fionna had collected over the years. The floors of the room were covered with articles of clothing piled on top of one other. Nik-naks were tossed carelessly across the room and it disturbed Marshall. Fionna wasn't exactly the queen of clean, but she hated when her room got "too messy." She'd complain about tripping on something and nearly falling into the second living room. Or trying to find something but not being able to because of the mess.

The vampire tried to remember the last time he had been there. Six months. And she never bothered being a slob for years. Why now? Teenage angst? Marshall snorted and quickly covered his mouth, eyeing the bed.

The Eskimo sleeping bag didn't budge. Marshall floated over, careful not to make a sound. He smirked to himself. His plan would not fail. He refused.

Hissing, Marshall was snapped out of his smug thoughts when he realized that the sleeping bag was empty. He spun around, looking for any signs of Fionna. But she wasn't there.

Flinching as if he had been greatly offended, Marshall realized that the blonde girl really wasn't at home. He listened hard throughout the fort but nothing suspicious called out to him. He sniffed the air. Her scent was fresh, but she hadn't been in the room for a good hour or so. Long enough for her scent to fade into the objects that resided in her room.

Where was she? How could she do this to him? Marshall floated around the room, thinking deeply. He hated all of this thinking. Why couldn't this be simpler? He floated over to the window but stopped. Was she on her way to his place? He growled under his breath and readied himself to dive through the window but jerked away last minute, hovering before the window.

If she realized he wasn't at home, she'd have to come back. If he were to fly out to catch up to her, he might miss her in the woods and his plan would be utterly ruined. Kicking back on the bed, Marshall decided the best thing to do was to wait.

Hours passed and Marshall began to grow impatient. Eyeing his watch, he counted the hours down till sunrise. He'd have three hours to get home otherwise he'd be a pile of ash. That is, if he didn't decide to wait out the day at Fionna's place.

When another hour passed, Marshall's impatience turned to worry. Where was she? Surely if she had been on her way to his place she'd be back by now. Slipping off the piece of furniture, Marshall paced around the room. Deciding it'd be best to leave, he reached for the window but stopped when he heard the sound of a door lightly opening and closing gently, as if whoever had entered the fort didn't want their presence be known.

Ducking into the darkest part of the room, Marshall pressed himself to the wall to conceal his figure. Footsteps gently walked through the fort, climbing a ladder now and then. If Marshall had the decency to breathe, he would be holding his breath right then no doubt. Shuffling was heard and a blond head popped into view.

The adventuress threw her bag down. She deeply breathed and stripped her head of her bunny cap, letting the hat drift to the floor. Marshall watched Fionna nearly stumble over clothes from exhaustion.

The vampire licked his lips, sticking his hands into his pockets and gently kicking an item on the floor across the room. Fionna jumped and grabbed the closest thing to her: a candle stick. She held it up.

"W-who's there? Come on out, coward!"

Marshall Lee stepped out of the shadows. Fionna chocked and dropped the holder.

"Is that any way to treat a guest?"

"M-Marshall..."

Fionna took a shaky step forward. In the moon light, Marshall could see traces of forming bruises and cuts. Her hair was sticky with sweat and dried blood sprinkled her arm. When she realized her action, she took a step back.

Floating over to the girl, Marshall stood in front of her. Fionna tripped, backing up into her desk. Marshall took the opportunity to put both hands on either side of her. She drew in a shuddery breath.

Leaning down, Marshall kissed her. Fionna reached her hands up to place on his shoulders, but he grabbed her wrists before she could make it. Pulling away from the kiss, Marshall looked at her in stern. The blonde girl gasped.

Marshall took her face gently in his hands and turned her to look at him. "I don't know what's going on, but I'm not anyone's toy, Fi." There was that nickname for her again. He felt his tongue grow heavy at the familiarity of the name he had given her. "I want to know what's going on."

The girl turned her gaze away, lost in thought. When he didn't get a response, Marshall felt tension in his chest. His eyes grew sharper and it was like everything had been magnified for him.

"Fionna, I want answers. What has gotten into you?" He squeezed her wrists lightly and she yelped. "Why did you seduce me? Why are you coming to me of all people? Is something going on I should know about?"

With every question fired, Marshall felt his words grow angrier and angrier until he was at the verge of spitting them out. Fionna had closed her eyes, turned her head away and shook in his grasp. She lightly sobbed, tears streaming down her face.

Marshall leaned down and kissed her neck. He held her waist, drawing his mouth over her jaw and roughly sucked on her collar bone. Fionna hissed, drawing in a breath. She clung to his shoulders.

The vampire brought his face up and kissed her hard. She struggled under his force, squirming to grab onto him. Marshall tangled his hands into her hair, holding her wrists with the other, not letting her have any control.

When Marshall broke away, Fionna whimpered, tears staining her face. He leaned his head in, resting it against the girl's temple. "To feel like you're being used...not knowing why or what's going on...to be put under a spell you can't escape and you can only watch the show when you could be apart of it..." Fionna whimpered as Marshall held both of her wrists in one hand and began to slide her top off. Dropping both of her arms for a few seconds to pull the top off, he quickly latched onto them before Fionna could pull away.

The girl shivered. From the cold? From him? Marshall drew her hands down to the desk, holding them there sternly as he kissed and sucked on her skin. Fionna let out a shuddered cry, throwing her head up. "Ugh...M-Marshall...p-please...s-stop." She had said it so quietly, the vampire could only ignore her insecure plea.

Flinging an arm around her, he threw her onto the bed. He crawled to her, taking off his shirt and laying on her. He felt a sob rip through her chest as he slid her skirt down, kissing her stomach.

Marshall nailed her arms to the bed, but when he leaned up to kiss her, Fionna burst into tears. "Marshall! Glob! Please stop! I beg you!" Sobs tore from her chest and the vampire froze. The girl shook underneath him, face read and crying. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry for...for doing that to you. I-I'm sorry...I..."

That was not what Marshall Lee wanted. That was not supposed to be apart of the plan. She was supposed to confess the answers Marshall was looking for. Not an apology. Although, it was nice. But looking down at his hands and her nearly naked body, Marshall jerked away. Since when were the tables turned?

Marshall Lee was not a bad guy. Mischievous? Yes. Mean spirited? Yes. But he wasn't a murderer. He wasn't a thief and most importantly, he wasn't a rapist. Where did he go wrong? Darting off Fionna, Marshall felt his body shake. "Fi...I..." Looking over her form once more, only then did he see the bruises and welts and dried blood from god knows what. He eyed the black and blue of her wrists that he did. Did he do that? Oh glob.

Without waiting for a response, Marshall darted through the open window and was far from the tree fort in a matter of minutes. He could smell the sun begin to rise in the horizon and floated in silence.

Closing his eyes, Marshall wondered what it would feel like to feel the full power of the sun. What would it be like to be human? To be able to walk to Fionna's place any time, not just when the world was asleep.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he flew to his cave and slammed his front door shut just as the sun peeked through the mouth of the tavern. Marshall Lee's life was spiraling out of his control. Nothing seemed to be going his own way. Was this a punishment for something he had done? Belated karma? He remembered how hard the adventuress cried and clutched the skin above his no longer beating heart. Feeling a sob rip from his own chest, Marshall let loose tears he had been bottling up for the longest time. He cried for the life he lived. He cried for his friends, past and present. He cried for Ooo and the things that go bump in the night. He cried for all of the despicable things he's done but most importantly he cried for the friendship he had with the girl that plagued his dreams, the girl with blonde hair and a bunny hat.


	5. Becoming Superman

Marshall watched the season change from late summer to early winter. A month crept by, then two. Late in the days Marshall would listen for any sound he could find. A scuffle, drag, even a crunch. Nothing.

The vampire often found himself confined to his bed. All of his lights off and he'd listen in the darkness of his home and the outskirts of his cave. How could things go so wrong for him?

Hissing, Marshall buried his head deeper into his pillow. Not once did Fionna come to him. Not once did the adventuress knock on his door or peer through his window. Sometimes he'd catch the faint scent of her, but it'd be gone before he could process the information in his head. He'd often wondered if he'd imagined that. But Marshall never caught anything that shouted "Fionna" at him. He didn't blame her for not coming back.

The dreams started off almost immediately after his "plan" had failed. Marshall would twist in his blankets, dreaming of the blonde girl. If he inhaled just right, he could have sworn he smelt her. If he squeezed his eyes shut enough, he could see her clearer. He'd trace the smile on her face with this finger, kiss the eyelids that block out her blue orbs when she slept. He'd memorize the sound of her laugh and when he woke up the day after, Marshall would find himself tangled in his sheets, sweat beading down his body.

When the second month rolled around and the dreams ceased to go away, emotions he didn't know existed in him began to plague his heart. Marshall sometimes would feel extreme guilt when he went down into his kitchen to get a drink, sudden sorrow when he took a shower or even great anger when trying to watch T.V.

The last straw came when his beautifully taunting dreams blossomed into nightmares. He'd dream of Fionna trekking through the woods of Ooo. Sometimes during the day, but mostly at night. He'd watch her have horrible arguments with cake and she would forget to return to the tree fort for days at most. He'd witness her picking fights with monsters bigger than she had been up against before, letting herself get tossed around like a doll in a child's play den. A doll wrapped in the shirt he had left behind that one night at the fort.

Marshall would wake up screaming from seeing so much blood. Fionna's blood. He'd sob and shake for hours on end, trying to erase after the nightmare. When he couldn't take anymore of the images, the vampire fumbled to button his jeans and tug on a shirt. He escaped into the night smelling for any signs of blood or his beautiful adventurer. His FIONNA.

After hours of vigorously flying through Ooo, Marshall calmed down enough to consider how irrational he was being. Those images were dreams. Not reality. Dreams. No matter how far he went or how hard he searched, he would never find Fionna. And even if he did, she probably was safe with Cake or PG.

Turning around to head home, the smell of his nightmares drifted through the air and tickled his nostrils. A smell so sickening sweet the vampire in him licked his lips but the human holding his emotions trembled violently.

His nose pointed him in the direction of mountains far from Fionna's bed back at the fort. Far from the safety net of Fionna's friends and most importantly; himself. The scent was so weak, Marshall was surprised he had even caught it when he did. Maybe it was the weak state his mind was in or the longing he had in his heart for the blond that haunted his dreams, but Marshall forgot everything he was pitying himself over and felt his lips curl into a snarl.

The night air pulled and tugged at Marshall's face as if to hold him back as he flew threw the night air. The cave opening was big and the stalactites stuck out at him like an animal hissing. The scent had grown stronger and only then did the horror of what was going on wash over him.

Plugging his nose feeling as though the world was going to fall out from underneath him, Marshall realized that the blood really was Fionna's. It wasn't just his imagination. It took all of his will power to not to let his eyes roll in the back of his head and find the blonde girl to drain her of what she got.

Letting his anger flood him once more, Marshall creeped into the cave and hid amongst the stalactites in the ceiling. A crash filled the cave and echoed up to his ears.

It didn't take long for him to find the source. His human skidded across the ground. The smell of blood slapped him in the face and he gagged, eyeing the streak left behind on the ground where the girl had been thrown.

Fionna didn't budge as a pool of blood formed around her. A shriek echoed through the cave and a giant creature of rock stepped into view. Fionna had done some damage to the monster, but Marshall couldn't rack his mind around why she had fought a guy like THIS. Monster creatures were almost impossible to kill. And their caves had nothing to offer for people like Fionna. They were dumb and dangerous, wandering more often on their own than in packs. But to pick a fight with one, someone would have to have a death wish.

Dropping down, Marshall landed gracefully in front of the rock creature and hissed. The monster tinkered back in surprise. It growled back at the vampire but Marshall already had stripped of his shirt and wrapped it around the adventuress. Blood stained his hands and arms, dripping onto his torso and kissing his jeans. Hissing once more, allowing his eyes to whiten and his face twist into an expression of horror, the creature let out a shriek before running off deeper into the cave.

Flying away, Marshall didn't dare slow down until the mouth of his own tavern came into view. Landing on his back porch, Marshall took the moment to fully look over the blonde girl in his arms. Sucking in air, the vampire wanted to be sick. He wanted to close his eyes and try to wake up from this nightmare.

The girl was limp and so small. Like a rag doll. Her hair and face was matted with blood. Her left arm was badly broken and legs were torn with deep gashes. Both eyes were blackened and a tooth had been knocked out.

Marshall felt himself shake in anger at the rock monster. He swore he would tear it apart to pebbles once he got the chance.

He was slapped out of his thoughts when Fionna groaned. Marshall didn't know how, but he had thrown his door open, flown up to his room and ran the water in his bathtub and set her in. Marshall stripped the girl of her clothes and almost regretted the action. Bruises bordered her ribs and blood stuck to her like gum in hair.

Shakily, Marshall found a wash cloth and began to gently scrub her body clean off the blood. He felt himself gag at the smell, wanting to desperately have a taste. It took everything he had not to steal a drop. He remembered that if he stopped, she could die.

Reaching up, Marshall undid her bunny hat and let it drop. Red caught his eye and the vampire caught what had fallen out: his shirt. The vampire ran his finger over the cloth remembering the night he had waited for Fionna in her room. She held onto this? The whole time?

Snapping out of his thoughts, blood dribbled down her neck and every time Marshall moved to wipe it away, more quickly replaced the old. Tipping Fionna's head forward, Marshall discovered a horrible gash that aligned the right side of her temple.

Hissing, Marshall pressed the cloth to Fionna's temple and held it, watching as the blood soaked the cloth. Finding another cloth, he cleaned up the rest of the wounds. Letting her soak in the tub, Marshall washed his hands and arms in the sink, trembling as he scrubbed away the blood from his skin.

Looking at his reflection, Marshall took in his complexion. He was paler than he had ever been his undead life and his eyes looked hollow. He was sure he had gotten most of the blood off, but he didn't know how much longer he could hold himself back for.

The vampire contemplated on fetching Cake. Or even PG. They would know what to do. A groan drifted from the tub and Marshall knew he couldn't leave. Fionna was halfway to dead if not worse. He had to be strong.

Taking a deep breath, Marshall turned to the blond girl in the tub. He reached into the water and let it drain. Wrapping a towel around her delicate form, Marshall lifted Fionna up gently and floated carefully into his room, landing beside his bed and set her down, brushing wet hair out of her eyes.

The wheel in Marshall's head spun fast and he dove for his closet, fishing through to find something he could put the adventuress in. Settling on an oversized band t-shirt he never wore, Marshall floated over and set the shirt down on the bed.

Unwrapping the towel, he drew his fingers lightly over the wounds. His anger melted to sadness. How could he have had let this happen? Why did she do this? Didn't she know how dumb she had been? How could she have done this? To Cake? To PG? To him?

Grabbing gauze and ointment from his cabinet, Marshall numbly patched up his adventuress. His blondie. His girl. His Fionna. Satisfied with his work, the vampire tugged the shirt onto the petite young woman, desperate not to hurt her. He found a piece of wood and used it along with an old shirt to set her broken arm.

Looking over his work, Marshall felt good. Relaxed. He slumped against his wall and buried his head into his knees. How could things turn out like this? Marshall felt his energy drain. When was the last time he had been this tired? He couldn't remember.

Fionna flinched in her sleep, twitched her hands and mumbled. Marshall was at her side in a blink of an eye. "What is it Fi? What can I do for ya?" Placing his hand on her forehead, he gently heard her say: "Red...red..."

Red? Blood? "It's okay, Fi. The blood's gone. I washed it off. You're okay now. You're here. I'm here." He shakily played with her bangs. "No...red...stripes...red..." Marshall was at loss, trying to figure out what she could mean. The shirt he had found in her hat popped into his mind and he flew to get it, back before a second could fly by.

"Is this what you want Fi?" She didn't open her eyes. Marshall took her hand and let her fingers run over the cloth. Recognizing what she was feeling, Fionna's eyes squeezed shut tighter than they had been and a sob ripped from her chest, tears streaming down her shirt. Her fingers grasped the piece of clothing and weakly brought it up to her chest, holding it tight with her good arm and pressed her face into it. With her other hand, she tried to feel around for something else, crying out when the pain of the broken bone consumed her.

Slipping his hand into her own, Fionna grew still and was fast asleep in a matter of moments. Marshall couldn't feel himself talk, but he heard how his voice stuttered when he thought it was going to come out strong. "It's okay, Fi. I'm here. You're safe with me. Nothing can hurt you again. No one. Not while I'm here." Whether or not it was his imagination or not, Marshall saw Fionna smile weakly, only to disappear as quickly as it came.

Nothing could strip Marshall Lee away from being with Fionna. He wouldn't leave her for Cake, PG, Lord Monochromicorn, Ice Queen or the world. Grasping her hand, Marshall stayed at Fionna's side. There was nothing else for him to do but wait.


	6. Teamwork

Time to a vampire meant nothing. Minutes could tick by but it'd only feel like seconds. Weeks would feel like hours and months could feel like a few days. But for Marshall, time couldn't be any slower.

What felt like an eternity had only been a week or two. From the moment Marshall had brought Fionna to his cave, the vampire had barely left her side. He only left when he needed to snack on something and use the bathroom. But ninety eight percent of the time, Marshall belonged to Fionna while she hid under his covers lost in sleep.

Out of the thousand years Marshall had lived, nothing had been as hard as it was for him to take care of the blonde girl in his bed. Every time he changed her bandages and he heard the slightest whimper, we wanted to run for the hills so he never had to hurt her again. Every time he shifted her over to the couch to clean his sheets and saw her shiver from a chill, he wanted to drop everything he was doing and hold her close to keep her warm. Every time he bathed her and looked over the wounds that had been inflicted upon her, he wanted to go find the rock monster and rip it to shreds so that it would never lay a hand on her again.

When Marshall wasn't running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, his hand was firmly in hers and he talked to her. He knew she probably couldn't understand him, being so deeply asleep as she was, but it comforted him. He'd talk about his trip to the Candy Kingdom, how he wanted to spill the beans to PG but he didn't, not wanting to embarrass her.

At the mention of PG's name, Fionna would scowl a tad in her dream and Marshall would laugh. He'd mess with her hair and hum to her, now and then taking out his bass and strumming a few songs he knew she liked.

Marshall was pleased with himself when he noticed the deeper wounds she had had begun to close up. Still bad, but not nearly as bad as it had been. Her broken arm was healing nicely and the vampire felt more than pleased knowing he could take care of the situation himself. His thoughts wandered to PG and what he would say if he found out Marshall had been able to keep Fionna alive and well, despite the prince telling Marshall he wasn't responsible enough nor mature enough to handle such a thing. His thoughts then wandered to the white and gold cat and his smirk would leave his face.

Where was Cake? Marshall was sure she would have knocked on his door by now wondering where the heck her sister was. But the vampire didn't see hide nor hair of the cat, and he didn't smell her scent at all in the air. Wouldn't she care about where her sister was? Then again, Fionna was almost eighteen. Marshall supposed the cat was trying to give the girl more freedom by moving out of the room she had shared with her and backed down from hounding her about when to be back home. But wasn't she aware of what Fionna was getting herself into?

Around the two week mark, Marshall took to cleaning Fionna's wounds. A groggy groan snapped him out of his thoughts as two blue orbs fluttered open. The vampire felt his undead heart do a flip and squeezed the girl's hand, finishing tying up the new band aids on her body.

The blonde girl's lips trembled, desperately wanting noise to escape. Numbly, her teeth grazed the skin of her lips and her teeth gently tore open a small part on her bottom lip.

Without batting an eye, Marshall leaned over with a cloth and dabbed at the wound before blood could spill. The human girl weakly reached up and placed her hand on his outstretched arm.

"Shh...it's okay Fi...I'm here. It's just me. I'm here." He was sure he had said that loud enough for the both of them to hear, but it only came out as a hushed whisper. None the less, Fionna relaxed in his grasp, eyes fluttering back shut. Her hand fell limp back to her side and Marshall sighed.

Tucking Fionna in, Marshall placed a kiss on her head and floated down to the kitchen to grab a glass of strawberry lemon aid. Pouring the liquid into a cup, Marshall promptly spilled the liquid everywhere and dropped the quart when a scream ripped through the little house in the tavern.

Flying up and feeling a light thud in his chest, Marshall watched as the young blonde thrashed on his bed. Fionna screamed as though the Earth were falling apart around her and Marshall struggled to hold her down to the bed.

The feeling of his hands around her wrists only made the girl scream louder. She kicked at the sheets and blood slowly started to form on her band aids, wounds reopening.

Pulling her into a tight embrace, Marshall let the girl claw and thrash at him. "Fionna! It's me! Marshall! Please just calm down I'm not going to hurt you!"

Wiggling out of his embrace, Fionna ran to a wall and began to claw at it, howling like a trapped animal. Marshall moved to grab her but she dodged out of his grasp once more, racing for the other wall.

An article of clothing tripped the girl and Fionna sprawled on the ground in a heap. Marshall scooped her up in his arms and Fionna thrashed once more. "Fionna, it's me." Marshall took her by the chin and forced her to look at his face. At first she closed her eyes but her blue orbs glowed with recognition when they reopened and her violent moves calmed. Taking in a deep breath, screams were replaced with sobs and Fionna clung to Marshall's shirt.

"Shh...it's okay...I'm here...I'm here." The vampire snaked his fingers through her hair, rubbing her back gently. "Let's get you fixed up again..." Picking her up, Marshall floated over to his bed and tucked her in, bending down and grabbing the mock first aide kit he had put together just for the girl.

Fionna sniffled, now and then whimpering from her injuries. She looked around with wide eyes, like she had never seen his room before.

"Here, this may sting but it'll make it better, Fi." Marshall dabbed a piece of gauze into some ointment. Undoing her bandages, he reached over to clean off the fresh blood.

"Am I dead?" Marshall froze, arm extended. "What?" "Am I dead? Is this where I got to go to when I died?" Marshall let his arm drop, giving a confused look at the girl in front of him. "I'm dead, right? This must be what the books that predate the Shroom War call "heaven"..." She looked around the room slowly, taking everything in. "Heaven's Marshall's house? Marshall, you're God? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Marshall was torn between cracking up and crying. In the end he gave a smirk and dabbed at her wounds. "Course, Fionna. Only a handsome and talented guy like me could be God. Duh." Fionna snorted and crossed her arms, looking away and grimacing each time he dabed at the wound. "If this is heaven, why do I feel pain? I don't think I like 'heaven' very much." She tried to scoot away from the vampire but he grasped her arm with his free hand and kept her in place. "Sorry, Fi. You can't move until I'm done patching you up. You ruined my handy work from that tantrum of yours."

For the first time, Fionna looked down and took note of her injuries. Eyes widening in shock, they drooped a moment later and stared at her hands laying in her lamp. "I'm not dead, huh?"

Marshall sighed. "No, Fi. You aren't. At least not yet. Keep up with the weird attitude of yours and you will be, though." The vampire tied the bandages tight. Fionna winces.

Looking away, the blonde girl was there physically in Marshall's room but the look in her eyes told the vampire she couldn't be any farther than being where she physically was.

He reached out his hand to her face. "Fi?" Fionna jerked her head away and kicked off her blankets. "Don't touch me." Taking a deep breath, she tossed her legs over the side of the bed and flinched. She held her arms to chest, feeling the air in her lungs hitch.

"Fi, you need to get back into bed and rest more. Otherwise your wounds can-" "Save it, Marshall. I'm getting out of here."

Fionna heaved herself out of the bed and stumbled forward, arms outstretched. Marshall reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist before she could hit the floor. Holding onto his arm, Fionna straightens herself out and smacks Marshall away.

The blonde girl weakly began to limp toward the hole leading to the living room. The vampire floated in front of her, taking Fionna by the shoulders. "Uh, no you're not. You do that and you'll get yourself killed." "That's the plan."

Fionna was stunned by a slap to the face. Not hard enough to hurt and leave a mark, but light enough to make the teen stunned. She brought her hand up to her face. "You hit me."

Marshall growled, mixed between anger and guilt. "You're acting so...dumb, Fionna. It's so unlike you." He slid his hand up lovingly and placed it on her forehead. She closed her eyes in peace, slapping it away a moment later and struggled to get out of his grasp.

"Let go of me, Marshall!" "No! Not until you tell me why the math you've been acting so...so...globing weird!" Marshall held her gaze, daring her to move. Fionna's face turned a scarlet colour, bringing her fist up to punch the vampire in the face.

Marshall caught her fist easily in his hand. Fionna swung the other and he caught that one as well. The blonde screamed in frustration.

"I'm so sick and tired of everyone treating me like...like...a baby!" "What the math are you talking about?"

Fionna blew a strand of hair out of her face and looked the vampire in the eye. "Prince Gumball's getting married." Marshall froze. "What?" Fionna laughed, her emotions mixed with anger and nerves. "Didn't you hear? This time last year he met a princess and they're to be wed in a few weeks."

The blonde girl's arms shook, a sob ripped through her chest. Marshall dropped his arms and Fionna punched him once. Twice. Three times. The vampire stumbled back with each punch until he felt his back reach a wall. Blood oozed from his nose. Fionna swung at him blindly, tears building up in her eyes and sobs ripped from her chest.

"It's not fair! First Cake and Monochromicorn, now PG and some...some..." The hits didn't hurt Marshall. He felt his skin be torn apart, cuts being formed and blood staining his skin. Fionna let out an angry sob.

"Ever since Monochromicorn moved in with us, he and Cake treat me like I'm some...some baby! I'm not a kid anymore! I'm not a kid! But I got a dumb globing curfew, I can't adventure out at certain times and if I do even the smallest thing wrong I get yelled at! I'm so sick of all of this yelling!"

Marshall's lips quivered, wanting to say something. He had no idea the black unicorn had moved in. He might have had heard PG talk about it but it completely blanked out of his memory once that conversation was over. PG talked about a lot of stuff. Most of the time it was things that honestly bored the math out of Marshall Lee.

A snap echoed through the room and Marshall felt his nose gush blood. Damn, just what he needed. A broken nose. But the vampire didn't have the heart to stop the girl. He closed his eyes.

"And now PG is going out and getting married. It used to be so much fun going for tea and...and you know, just hanging out. Now all of our conversations are about "her." What "she's" been doing with "her" kingdom. And when he's not talking about "her" he's too busy planning and baking. Cake stopped going with me and every time I am with PG he just...bosses me around!" She inhaled and put on her best Prince Gumball tone: "Oh, Fionna! No, no, no! Please refrain from doing that! You're going to break it! Oh, nooo Fionna! I can't have you help me bake! You might get dirt in the crumpets! Fionna! What do you think you're doing with that tea cup? That's "HER" favorite cup! I can't possibly have you rough house with it! And...and..."

The fists ceased and Marshall peeked his eyes open. The girl held her arms up as though to hit him, but she stared at the blood and a sob ripped through her chest. She clung to his shirt and buried her face into his neck. Marshall slithered his arms around her and their knees met the ground. Rubbing her back, he held her close in his lap, feeling the blood trickle over his lips and drip off of his face.

"Oh, glob! I'm so...so sorry Marshall! I...that wasn't fair...I...oh, glob!" She weakly crawled through his arms and dragged herself towards the hole. Marshall reached out and gently grasped her ankle. Fionna stopped, shaking badly.

"Fi..." "Don't call me that, Marshall. All I'm doing is hurting you over my own selfish reasons. All I do is hurt and mess things up for everyone and I shouldn't have dragged you into this. I...I..."

Marshall stood up, grasped the blonde around the waist and gently pulled her up. Turning her around, the vampire tucked her hair behind her ears and looked deeply into her eyes. Fionna stared back, tears staining her face. Had those bags been there the whole time?

Leaning down, Marshall captured her lips with his, placing both hands on her shoulders. A moment later she weakly placed her own on his shoulders, closing her eyes.

Marshall pulled away and placed his forehead against hers. Fionna whispered under her breath: "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..." Dragging her back to his bed, Marshall lifted her onto the mattress and tucked the sheets around her. The blonde's eyes were red, sunken and swollen. He kissed the top of her head and pulled away to get her food and tissues. At the tough of her hand on his arm, Marshall didn't bother to pull away.

"Please don't leave..." The vampire turned around, a smile on his face. Taking her hand, he kissed it gently and sweetly. "Wasn't ever planning on it, Fi. But you need food. I'll be back before you can say '." "Wha-?"

Marshall flew down the the ladder, snickering at himself for the outdated pop culture joke he had made. Marshall could still remember the dancing penguins and the chimney sweep song that raided his mind in the early years before the great Mushroom bomb had been dropped.

Fixing up a bowl of sliced fruit, Marshall flew back up, hearing the young girl utter under her breath the pop culture word the vampire had said but failing to no extend. Chuckling, he set the bowl on her lap wit ha spork. "Eat up, babe."

Fionna's face turned scarlet, but picked up the utensil, eating in silence. Marshall sat on the space beside her on the other side of the bed, hands resting on his stomach and took the moment to stare at his ceiling. He counted the cracks and cobwebs that painting the plaster.

Marshall was startled out of his thoughts when something soft brushed against his cheek. Drawing back in a surprised hiss, he found that Fionna had reached out and touched the gashes she had created. A look of sorrow and regret beaded her face.

"I can't believe I did that to you..." Marshall choked up and took the opportunity of using the empty bowl as an excuse to change the topic. Taking the bowl, he floated out of her reach and down the hole, placing it into the sink and letting the water rinse out the stickiness. Taking a deep breath, Marshall returned to his room and tucked the sheets in tighter around the blonde.

"You should get more sleep." Fionna reached out for his face again but Marshall grasped her wrist before she could touch him. "Fi, don't-" "Marshall, I did that to you." "I know. And it's fine." He gave her the best smile he could give, grabbing a towel he had set aside for her and wiped away what he could of the blood. "See? All better." "Marshall..."

Fionna took the vampire's face in her hands and gently stroked his features, taking everything in. Leaning up, she kissed his already healing nose, a cut that had sealed up on his cheek and the scars on his neck. Marshall closed his eyes, feeling the trails of kisses the girl left behind. A moment flew by where Marshall felt two fragile lips be placed on his.

Marshall bent down, pushing his head with hers to deepen the kiss. Fionna brought her hands up, tangling her small fingers in his locks. The vampire held her sides, gently sitting on the small space of bedding between her and the edge.

The blonde dragged her fingers down, shakily unbuttoning one button at a time, keeping her pace slow. The shirt fell open loosely and Fionna's fingers brushed the vampire's skin. Marshall could feel every quiver and shake her hands gave off and felt his mind spin.

Fionna reached to undo the entrance to his pants, but Marshall grabbed her wrists and pulled his face away from hers. His lips swelled and a blush creeped onto Fionna's face. The blonde sagged her head so she didn't have to meet the eyes of the vampire in front of her.

Marshall took her face in his free hand, clasping both of hers in the other. "Fi, look at me." Fionna looked up without the vampire needing any force to do so. A look of shame and guilt clouded her sapphire eyes. For a split second, Marshall forgot why he had stopped her in the first place. But the tightness in his pants and the scars on her face reminded him why he did. Licking his lips, he took a breath.

"Fi...am I just a stress buster for you? A distraction from the world?" Fionna stayed silent, stunned by his words. "When...when I look into your eyes, I see so many things. I see...I see a beautiful girl that is the greatest thing that has happened to Ooo. I see a girl that has a lot of inner demons but keeps them concealed because she believes that every single person and thing on this planet is more important. I see someone who means so much to me and has brought me a lot of happiness since I've known her and it kills me to know that she might be using me as an excuse to ditch her responsibilities and reality for a short amount of time."

Fionna's eyes watered up and she tries to tug her face away but the boy kept her face locked in place. Marshall has never been good with words or his emotions, but right then, he didn't care. He didn't care if he was the big bad vampire or if the world knew that Marshall Lee the Vampire King was being sensitive or not. This was his life. And for once he didn't want to screw things up.

"I'm not a toy, Fionna. I'm not something you can just buy from a village to play with. I'm a vampire. I could kill you right now and I should be able to care less. But I can't. I can't care less. And I hate that. Do you understand? I should be able to just fly out of here and never see you again. I could. I would. But I'm not. And do you know why?"

He waited for an answer from the girl he knew he wasn't going to get. Marshall sucked in air and took a pause to think. He softened his features and gave the most sincere look he could give.

"Because running away from my problems doesn't solve a thing. For over a thousand years, I ran away from the things that scared me. From the things that messed with my emotions and the things that made me feel as though I was getting too personal. When you came around, for the first time in centuries, I didn't feel the need to run away. You and PG. And even Cake. And for years I had to think about how one day all of you will leave me-"

"I won't leave you." Her words came out quiet and her voice cracked like dry leaves. Fionna's words made Marshall shudder. He wanted to cry so much right then. He really wanted to just up and leave like he had done all of his life. But he knew if he did he was defying his point.

"You will. You'll die and I won't. That's how being a vampire works, Fionna. But that's not my point. My point is, the more you run, the more things won't get solved and the more you refuse to face your problems, the more it'll come back to bite you in the butt. Fionna, I've never loved anyone as much as you in my life. And it kills me to see you in so much pain. To know that you'd rather die than face the things that are hurting at you. But using me ends here." Fionna closed her eyes, tears spilling.

"And if you want to run, then fine. But I'm going to run with you. If you want to be hurt, then fine. I'll hurt with you. If you want to die, then fine. I'll die with you. But never think you're alone, Fi. Not once. I'm here for you and always will be. Whether you want to face your fears and reality or run away, I'll be right there with you every step of the way. And never forget that, do you understand?"

Fionna's lips trembled, closing her eyes, tears overflowing her lids and staining her cheeks. Realizing words wouldn't form, she weakly nods, a sob ripping from her chest. "I love you, Marshall. So much. And I'm not just saying that. I'm not...I...Marshall...I..."

Marshall felt a smile tug at his lips and he silenced her with a kiss. A kiss with enough love and tenderness it'd make a toddler's stuffed animal cry with envy. The vampire slid the rest of his shirt off, bending the blonde's head sideways gently and leaving trails of kissing down her neck. He felt the girl tense up, sighing and resting her hand on her shoulder.

"M-Marshall...I...are you su-?" The vampire sat up and rested his thumb on her lips. He gave her a look that answered every question in her head and a genuine smile grew on her face for the first time Marshall was sure had been in months.

Helping he slide his band shirt off, Marshall slid under the covers with her, sliding her onto his lap and leaving hickies behind on every exposed parts of her skin he could find.

Stripping each other of their clothes, Marshall was careful that night. Resting on top of her lightly as to not hurt her or reopen her wounds. Fionna's fingers snugly dug their nails into his back and the vampire moved in her with slow passion, drawing kisses in between every pant and moan.

Marshall brushed sweat away that had built up on her forehead, his lips would caress away any tears that fell from her eyes. He marveled at how well their bodies connected, as though they had been made for each other.

When they were done, Marshall protectively wrapped is arms around the blonde girl laying beside him. He felt Fionna inhale and exhale against his torso. Upon feeling strong grey arms wrap around her, the blonde pressed herself as close as she could get to the raven haired man, ignoring the pain shooting up from her wounds. She fell asleep in minutes, and all Marshall could do was play with her hair and kiss her skin in between broken thoughts. That's how life should be, and right then and there, Marshall never wanted to run away again.


	7. Play Pretend

Sheets clung to Marshall's sweaty body when he woke up. His raven hair partially stuck to his face, partially stuck to his pillow. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept that well.

Stretching his arm across the bed, his hand came to rest on empty sheets and Marshall's eyes snapped open, remembering the night before. He didn't know why he felt so surprised. He should have expected the blonde girl to be gone.

Rolling onto his back, Marshal flung his arm over his eyes, swearing. A dull throb rose from the nose he had broken the night before. It had set itself in the middle of the night and flakes of dried blood stuck to his arm.

The vampire laid there like that for a long moment before tugging himself out of bed and slipping some pants on he found on the ground. Marshall's head spun, feeling the ache in his body from Fionna's beating. It wasn't bad, but it was enough for him to flinch now and then at the sharpest of movements.

Entering his bathroom, Marshall washed off the dry blood groggily, staring at himself in the mirror after. He watched the red water drops streak his face and fall into the sink below. His eyes looked tired and he rubbed at his eye lids.

Turning the water off, the vampire made a move to crawl back into bed and never wake up again, but the smell of pancakes wafted from the floor below. Marshall inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, opening them with weak confusion.

Floating down to the first floor, Marshall peeked his head into kitchen to see Fionna standing at his stove wearing only a shirt of his. She looked like a beautiful mirage taken from a hot desert. Her blonde hair fell across her back in locks, his article of clothing so big on her. Like a child trying to be grown up by wearing her parents' clothes.

Marshal felt his feet touch the floor and the light noise made the adventuress peak her head over her shoulder at him. A smile lit up her face and she motioned for him to sit at the counter at the window that sat on the border between the kitchen and living room.

Feeling his feet move, the vampire sat down on the stool. He felt like a kid waiting for his mom to finish breakfast. He felt young and foolish. The stool beneath him wasn't the most comfortable thing, but it felt good to have something hold him up. His hands weakly rested on his lap.

The clack of a plate being placed in front of him knocked Marshall out of his thoughts. He gazed numbly down at red dyed pancakes steaming up at him. The smell tickled his nose and the heat grazed his face. Fionna placed syrup and butter next to his plate along with a glass of red dyed milk.

Marshall's eyes flickered up at Fionna. The girl leaned against the counter, smiling. She had patched herself up before he woke up. The colour had come back to her skin and the pain in her eyes had eased.

The blonde escaped back into the kitchen and returned a moment later with her own platter of pancakes. She continued to stand, cutting into her breakfast and taking a bite. The vampire continued to stare, feeling numb all over. Fionna glanced up and paused, swallowing the food in her mouth. "Is there something on my face?"

"Why are you here?" Marshall hadn't meant to say it as harshly has he had. The girl stared blankly. Dropping her fork, Fionna wiped her hands weakly on a napkin, fingers trembling. "I'm sorry. I...I didn't...I'll leave."

She ducked into the living room and made a move for the ladder, but Marshall grasped her wrist. His fingers gently slid around her skin and he pulled him to her. "No...I mean...why...you didn't leave?" Marshall's voice softened and he felt the words nearly choke in his throat.

Fionna's eyes softened. Brining her hands up, she played with his hair, smiling. "I thought about it. But in the end I couldn't." Her tone matched the same pitch as Marshall's. She combed her fingers over his skin and gently rubbed at the circles beneath his eyes. The vampire looked at her as though he hadn't slept in weeks, his body sagging with weakness.

"I...I thought about what you said. And...and I don't want to go back. I don't want to go back to the same routine. To wake up to the same bickering and being ignored and being treated like a baby. I get I can't runaway from my problems. I know they'll just come back to haunt me. But right now, I just want to run until I can't run anymore. Only then will I go back." Marshall looked away. Fionna lifted his head so he was looking at her. She takes a deep breath. "And I want you there every step of the way to remind me how dumb I am. I get that I have responsibilities. I don't want to ditch them forever. But right now I just want to pretend I'm someone else. Pretend things can fix themselves for now. Play pretend with me, Marshall. Please...just...just for a little while."

The girl closed her eyes as though she were in pain. Marshall flipped her words over and over in his head. Play pretend. Was this what it was? He looked at her long and hard. He memorized every scratch, every blemish, ever curve and colour he found on her face. The vampire thought about the life he'd leave behind if they were to run off and realized he wouldn't be leaving anything worthwhile behind at all. Not as long as she were with him. How long this will play out, he didn't know. But at the moment he had Fionna in his arms and that's all that mattered to him.

Reaching out his arms, Marshall slithered his arms around Fionna's waist and pulled her to him. The blonde snuggled the bridge of her nose into his neck and the vampire inhaled the sweet sent of her hair.

"Will you be up for leaving tomorrow?" Marshall was surprised to hear his voice. He hadn't felt his lips moved. They felt numb in his face. The adventuress in his arms stayed still, but after a moment he felt her nod into the crook of his neck. "Go pack what you need." Fionna gave his body a light squeeze, turning to the ladder and disappearing into the floor above.

Marshall stared at the ceiling as though the answer he was looking for was going to magically appear. Was he going to regret this? Was this smart? What would become of this when Fionna grew bored with a different life? Would she grow bored of him too?

His eyebrows knitted and he scanned the room as though he had didn't live there. As though it were the first time he had ever stepped foot in the little house in the cavern before in the thousand years he lived. The vampire noticed the things he never noticed before. The crack in the ceiling, the chipped paint in the corner of the room peeking out from behind the couch, the shade of the carpet beneath his feet. The things he never paid any attention to and took for granted. The things he passed by every single day of his life and realized he wouldn't miss any of it. And he couldn't have wanted to play pretend so badly any more than he had right then and there.


	8. Into the Nightosphere

A breeze stroked Marshall's face and caressed his hair. The smell of spring tickled his nose and he wondered if he should call the whole thing off. Inside, Fionna struggled to pack what she thought they would need. Some clothes, some food, money...

Where would they go? Marshall tried wrapping his mind about where they could stay. Where they could live. Were they going to live like that for the rest of their lives? On the run? From...what exactly? Oh, yeah. Life. Responsibilities. Love. Love...

Marshall closed his eyes. He wished he could sit down so badly and just think. Have a year or two to flip this idea around in his head. But he didn't have a year or two. That is then, and this is now. Now he didn't have that long to think things over. To maybe say that this was a bad idea. To say that it was a good idea.

The front door closed and he looked back at Fionna. She was wearing one of his oversized band t-shirts as a dress, one of his spiked belts hugged her waist. She wore the shoes he found her in, leaving behind her torn blue shirt and skirt. But something was different about her that screamed at Marshall. He scanned her face and body, trying to figure out what it could be. Then it hit him.

Marshall felt a gasp escape his lips. Her hat was gone, leaving her long golden hair to fall down her back like a waterfall made of sunshine. Fionna averted her eyes, a blush creeping on her face.

"I wanted to leave behind everything that reminded me of our old life." "But Fionna, it's your hat. It's you. Are you sure?" Marshall stroked his fingers through her hair and the young woman closed her eyes, inhaling. He pulled his hand away and she reopened her eyes, swallowing a lump in her throat. "Yes."

Marshall nodded. If she changed her mind he could always come back for it. Fionna slung a bag over her shoulder and smiled, placing her hand on her hip. "Ready?" He felt a smirk tug on his face. "Ready when you are, princess." Fionna blushed, then grinned.

He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around the blonde's waist. He hoisted her up and they were up high in the starry night. Below, kingdoms glistened like forgotten heavens. In the distance, Marshall could see the Candy Kingdom. Beyond that, the mountains that homed the Ice Queen.

Fionna snuggled the bridge of her nose into his neck, closing her eyes. He licked his dry lips. "Where do you want to go?" He felt the girl breathe against him. "Away from here. Take me as far from here as you can." Marshall felt himself nod and he flew into the night. He didn't know where he was going, but he allowed himself to fly away from Prince Bubblegum, away from the Ice Queen and away from the place he once called his home.


	9. Give and Take

Soft pillows greeted Marshall as he woke up. He breathed and stretched, feeling his spine crack. The bed felt like clouds if they were solid. So soft, the vampire was sure he could be lost in the comfort for the rest of his undead life.

Opening his eyes, sun peeked through the shudders of...wait, where was he? Marshall sat up on his elbow, groping around his mind to remember the past night. Pieces fell into place the more he woke his brain up. He remembered holding Fionna close as he became a dot in the night. Remembering her falling asleep and seeing the first rays of sun peek over the horizon. He remembered finding an inn wedged in the crease of a hill and renting out the last room.

Marshall peeked over his shoulder at the lump in the sheets. Turning to face it, he pulled the blanket down to reveal the adventuress, her blonde hair sticking out in places. She snuggled into her pillow, her breathing shallow and relaxed. A smile crept onto the vampire's face.

Letting his eyes adjust, the room was fairly big but quaint. A small fireplace fit snugly in the corner of the room, the walls a crimson red. A coat hanger stood beside what Marshall assumed to be the door leading out of there, another, the bathroom.

The bed spread was a patched up quilt, numerous squares of every colour made up the body of the blanket. Marshall let his fingers run across the fabric. Rough, but warm. He snuggled back into the blankets and closed his eyes, wrapping his arm around Fionna. Was this what life was going to be like from now on?

Fionna turned in her sleep and snuggled into the dead man's chest. Suddenly, running away was the best thing Marshall had ever done. He twirled a piece of her hair.

Yeah...they could do this. Just him and her. They could stay here until they find a place they both liked and build their own home. Preferably somewhere shady...a house not to big and not too small. A room for her to stash weapons she'd collect over the years, a music room for him. They'd marry privately and maybe adopt a little orphan child. A big, fat, happy family.

The blonde stirred beside him and Fionna opened one blue eye lazily. She propped herself up and looked around the room, rubbing at her eyes. "Where are we?" Marshall smiled and pulled her to him, drawing circles on her back and humming. She smiled and closed her eyes but nudged him with annoyance.

"Marshall, where are we?" It wasn't fear or worry, but curiosity. The same kind of curiosity that got his beautiful adventuress into trouble over the years. "A hotel." Fionna pouted then smiled. "I know that. But where?" Marshall thought about that for a moment. "I honestly don't know." He glanced at the shutters. "But I'm not going to find out anytime soon."

Fionna sat up and took in the room. "It's cozy." Marshall slung his arm around her waist and pulled her back down into the bed. The blonde let out a squeal, giggling. "Yes you are." He snuggled his head into the softness of her body. Fionna giggled and squirmed out of his grip, slipping out of the bed.

Marshall Lee popped one eye open and sat up. "Where do you think you're going?" Fionna peeked over her shoulder, smiling. "I'm going to explore the area." The vampire frowned as he watched the girl rush into the bathroom to tidy up.

Slipping out of bed as well, Marshall stood at the doorway, leaning against it's frame, arms crossed as he watched the girl tidy up her hair and fix her shirt. "I don't think I like the idea of you walking off where I can't find you if you need me." Fionna smiled at Marshall through the mirror. "I'll be fine, dude. I'm an adventuress, remember? I've battled big monsters. I'm pretty sure I'll be safe."

A smirk tugged at Marshall's lips. Fionna grinned, leaning up and kissed him. Marshall wrapped his arms around her waist and melted into her lips. "Fine," he muttered, breaking away from the kiss. But be back in an hour or so. Fionna lightly punched his arm. "Fine. Just don't worry about me too much, okay?" Marshall took her fist and brought it to his mouth, kissing it, causing the girl to blush.

Fionna pulled her hand away and hugged Marshall's torso. He hugged her back, feeling her head on his chest. Breaking the hug, Fionna brushed her hand against the vampire's cheek and brushed past him, picking up the studded belt. "I'll be back in an hour. Don't miss me too much, okay?" Marshall stuck out his tongue playfully to her. Fionna gave a satisfied look, turned, and disappeared through the hotel room's door.

Suddenly, Marshall felt so small. He knew he shouldn't worry over his adventuress, but he hated feeling so...helpless. He was stuck in that globin' room and if anything bad were to happen to Fionna he couldn't be there. He understood she was an adult and has been able to handle herself, but Cake had always been there to be of assistance.

Marshall floated around the room, anxiously staring at every piece of furniture and memorizing every mark he could find in the room. After an hour passed, the light that peeked through the shutters dimmed.

The vampire grew worried. Where was she? Is she okay? Marshall tried to peek through the curtains only to meet with a light sting to his face and finger. Pulling back, the dead young man growled in frustration.

He threw himself into the bed and buried himself in the sheets, letting his head be consumed by the pillows. Minutes later, he heard the faint click of the door opening. Sitting up, Marshall felt relief flood him when the adventuress stood at the door, a grin on her face.

"You won't BELIEVE what I've found, Marshall! This place is algebraic! Over the hill there's a strawberry field, lots of caves more north where the hills turn rocky, and...and...Glob! Marshall! This is too perfect!"

All anger left the vampire and he, too, found himself grinning. The light outside dimmed and blew out like a flame. Fionna's face softened, slipping her hand into his. "C'mon. I'll show you."

The girl led him through a hallway, past a lobby and into the outside world. The sun slithered the rest of the way over the hill, leaving the world in darkness. Marshall barely had time to blink before the adventuress tugged him along again.

Over the hill, Marshall was met with the most incredible view. Fionna wasn't lying. A strawberry field loomed for a good mile. All he could see was red. Delicious red. He could easily make that last for years.

Fionna lightly tugged on his hand. He floated next to her as she headed north along the hills. The green grass slowly melted into brown rocks. The terrain grew rough and caves could be seen sunken into the earth like black holes. Marshall floated up to one and peered in. It was big and damp. A little too bumpy for his taste, not right to support a house. But they could take their time in choosing a cave. Harvest wood from the trees surrounding the strawberry field and he probably could find a market to get proper food for Fionna.

A light tap on his shoulder woke Marshall up from his thoughts. Fionna slipped her hand back into his and guided him to a different tavern. This one was hidden behind a boulder, the entrance low to the ground.

Fionna got to her knees and crawled through the gap. Marshall followed her lead. Far bigger than her, the vampire had to wriggle his way through, careful not to get stuck. When he stood up, the smell of fresh water hit his nose.

A lake greeted the young man like an old friend. The smell was so pure Marshall could almost taste it. The water was clear and that was when the vampire realized it was a hot spring. Some bubbles formed on the surface and steam dampened his shirt and pants. In an open part of the ceiling, moonlight streamed in to give the tavern some light.

Fionna ran ahead towards the water, undoing the belt and letting it drop. It took him a moment to realize what she was doing. "Fionna?" He sounded weak and startled. The girl looked over her shoulder at him, grinning deviously as she slipped off his shirt, panties following.

A splash echoed in his ears and he scanned the water for her figure. She stood up in the moonlight, water making her skin glisten. Her wounds had closed up, arm placed in a simpler brace that allowed her to moved swiftly without the pain of a sling. She held her chest and smiled, strands of her hair sticking to her body, giving it the appearance of a golden cape. "What are you waiting for?"

Marshall felt him self move, unbuttoning his shirt and letting it fall. He stumbled with the zipper and button on his pants, shoving them down and tripping to kick them off. His boxers flew and he stood before the water, staring at the blonde.

The girl smiled and sunk into lake, becoming a dark blob and disappearing into the darker part of the water. Eyeing the liquid eagerly, a small hand came up and grasped his ankle.

Marshall felt himself be pulled in. Bringing his head up through the water, he inhaled. Giggling filled his ears. Fionna floated on her back near him, a grin on her face. "Gotchya."

The young man smirked and tackled her around the waist. Fionna let out a squeal as the vampire dragged her into the water. A moment later they both broke the surface, standing in the moonlight. Fionna couched, holding onto Marshall's arm for balance. The two exchanged looks and laughed.

Letting his laughter die down, Marshall took the moment to let his eyes wander over the young woman in front of him. She barely came up to his shoulder, but her body had filled out since first hitting puberty. Her hair reached the small of her back and Marshall marveled at the changes he had never took note of over the years.

Fionna's laughter faded into an echo through the cave, eyes soft, gazing at the vampire. Marshall felt his lip quiver, smiling down at her. He reached over and brushed her hair to the side, dragging her by the hips to him and leaning down leave a lingering kiss.

The blonde gasped, digging her fingers into Marshall's shoulders. She closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. The vampire intwined his fingers into her hair, his other hand on the small of her back. He pulled gently, forcing her head to a tilt, drawing kisses up her neck and deeply sucking on the border of her jaw and neck.

A groan escaped Fionna's lips. A satisfied smirk etched its way onto Marshall's face. He kisses up to her ear and presses his lips to the lobe. "Now it's your turn." Fionna gasps and Marshall kissed her, sucking in her lower lip and owning her mouth with his. Fionna struggled to get a hold on the vampire, but Marshall took both her wrists in his hands, inching kisses down her throat, between her breasts, over her stomach and to her pelvis. He felt the young woman shudder, a choked up groan escaping her lips.

Marshall found her breasts once more, taking one into his mouth and sucking. Fionna leaned her head back, cheeks pink from every intimate touch and the heat rising from the water. She burrowed her fingers into his hair. Marshall let out a groan that vibrated through the blonde's body.

Wrapping his arms around her frame, Marshall lifted Fionna up. She wrapped her legs around his lower torso and arms around his neck, burying the bridge of her nose into his neck.

Marshall breathed in the vanilla sent of her hair, loving how a few stray strands of her hair tickled his nose. He closed his eyes, running a hand down her spine. Fionna inhaled and lowered herself onto his length. Marshall let out a hiss.

It felt funny. A good kind of funny, but still funny non the less. It was the most incredible feeling Marshall had ever experience in his life, both being inside Fionna and the warm water surrounding their bodies.

Fionna lifted herself up where he was almost out, but slid back down last minute in pure ecstasy. She repeated the movement, glued to the vampire's body. Marshall realized his nails embedded themselves into her back. However, the girl showed no signs of being in pain.

After what felt like long, torturous hours of pleasure, Marshall couldn't take it anymore. He had to have her and he had to haver her his way. Shakily stepping towards some rocks, he found a flat one grazing the surface of the water. He laid her down, arms wrapped snugly around her waist and hid himself in her skin, thrusting as fast as he could.

Fionna gasped loudly as the vampire grinded into her, growling into her skin. The smell that filled the indoor lake was intoxicating to the vampire. The scent of fresh water and the blonde's sex filled his senses, blinding him into oblivion.

Marshall felt his body slump when he came. He was glad that the water was there to help keep him from crushing Fionna. The young woman shakily brought her hands to his hair and hummed into his ear, playing with the strands of his raven hair.

The night hung in beautiful silence. Marshall felt Fionna move her head to where her lips grazed his ear. "Let's go back to the inn." Marshall felt him self nod and slowly stand up, slipping himself out of her. Fionna sat up, slipping into the water, taking the vampire's hand and leading him to shore.

The took their time dressing the other, a quick kiss in between each article of clothing. Fionna stumbled in the dark to find the entrance of the cave. She wriggled through, stood, and waited for the vampire.

Marshall got on his stomach and crawled halfway through. He felt his torso get wedged in the opening and his unbeating heart flipped in his chest. Fionna took his arm and pulled hard. He squirmed. The girl flew back when her grasp slipped. A rumbled filled their ears and the vampire scrambled to get through the hole.

Debris and dirt fell into Marshall's hair. He dug his fingers into the ground as a stalactite pried loose from the cave's roof and wedged itself into his leg. A heavy rock fell beside his head as rocks fell onto his back and head.

When it was over, Marshall had a ringing in his ear. He could faintly hear Fionna call his name. The pain was so intense, Marshall bit down on his tongue to ease the pain to an ache. Blood filled his mouth.

He opened one eye weakly. Fionna stood on her knees before him. Rocks kept him nailed to the ground, covering what was of his body except for his head. Blood leaked over his eyelid. Fionna's face grew pale.

"It's okay, Marshall. It's okay. I'm going to get you out of here." She numbly dug at the dirt and pebbles. When she got to the bigger stones, she struggled to pry one away from the vampire. She tugged and the young man let out a hiss of pain. Fionna stopped, torn.

The sun's rays peeked over the horizon. Marshall cringed as the first light fell on his exposed face, digging his head into the stone. Fionna stood in front of him and the son, spreading out her arms to shield him from the light.

Marshall's leg throbbed inside the cave. If only he could make his way back in. Inching back, the vampire knew it'd be impossible. The rocks had him pinned. The energy leaked out of his body and fear to hold of his heart. Fionna sobbed, trying to hide him as best as she could as the sun rose in the sky.

Fionna dodged for flat rock but returned to Marshall's side when he cried out from the sun's exposure. His face began to glow a light pink from the burns. Fionna sucked in air, leapt for the rock and sat back down before the sun could do any real damage. She wedged the rock in the ground in front of Marshall, giving him enough shade for the time being.

The blonde searched for rocks she could use that would protect the love of her life. She built a wall big enough to keep out the sun until high noon. Marshall had his eyes closed, laying numbly on the ground. If Fionna hadn't known better, she would have thought Marshall had been dead. Brushing her hand against his hair, his brow furrowed. He may not be dead, well, COMPLETELY dead then, but he would be come noon. She couldn't protect him forever.

Marshall opened his eyes and gazed up at the adventuress and coughed. "Fionna, you need to go home and get help." The girl froze up. "I don't want to go back." Her words came out in a dry whisper and Marshall closed his eyes once more. "Then I guess I'll see you in another life."

Fionna froze and scratched at the rocks. Her nails became stubs and the stubs bloodied. Tears stained her face and the sun was rising way too quickly for its own good. She knew she had to go back. PB would know what to do. Cake could shield Marshall till night. Monochromicorn could help with the ruble.

Gazing at the sun one last time, Fionna lowered her eyes to Marshall. She sobbed and leaned down. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. When we get through this, we'll never run away again."

Marshall opened his eyes, a weak smile on his face. "I'd run to the ends of eternity and back with you, Fionna, if it'll make you happy. Just don't forget the things in life that already do." Fionna's lip trembled and she smiled back. Marshall weakly took her hand in his free one and kissed it.

Fionna pulled it away a moment later, leaning down and giving him a long kiss, disappearing a minute later down the rocks and over the hill. Marshall watched her with distant eyes as the sun inched its way higher into the sky.

If he were to die now, Marshall realized he'd be fine with it. Thinking about letting himself be exposed and ending it then, Fionna's face flashed in his mind. No, he wouldn't die then. He couldn't. He hadn't fully lived up until his time with Fionna. For once, Marshall could have a life. A real life. Where he could stay in one place and pass on his legacy with Fionna. Suddenly, his life was cut too short. He couldn't die now. Even if in the end Fionna did leave him, he couldn't just die. Blue orbs filled his mind and her soft laughter echoed through his ears, rocking him into an odd comfort as he pressed himself deeper into the shadow that kept him in a ticking tomb of life or death.


	10. Lost and Found

Marshall was hot. And not in the good way. Every second felt like his skin was evaporating away, his bones were boiling away and his muscle was melting in their place.

The sun was close to being directly over the vampire. Too close for his own comfort. The only thing protecting him from dying sooner was Fionna's wall. For that, he was grateful. For her taking her time, he was losing his patience.

His one arm that was nailed to the ground stuck out from his protection. Marshall slithered his hand into his sleep. The pain was tolerable for the first hour or two, but now it was just globing ridiculous. The normal scraped knee feel he got whenever he did decide to go in the sun protected was gone and replaced with the sheering pain he now felt. Marshall could taste the bile in his mouth and feel death brushing his shoulder as time passed excruciatingly by.

So this is what it's like to die. Marshall tried to blink away the sunspots in his eyes, failing miserably. His head hurt and he wanted to throw up so badly. Light smoke wafted from his sleeve that smelt sickingly of bacon.

Marshall knew he should be horrified by the smell, but in a way, it comforted him. It reminded him of the times Fionna stayed at his place. How he'd cook up red dyed eggs and bacon for them when they withstood storms or had movie nights. His stomach rumbled at the memory and for a brief moment, he forgot about the pain and relived those moments in his mind, letting the smell of his flesh bring him closer to being at home and away from the sun that he could physically at that moment.

Footsteps echoed along the rocks. In reality, they circled Marshall Lee. But to the vampire, they were so far away. He heard a voice echoing in his ear and he knew he should be able to comprehend it. He should be able to make out the words but he just couldn't.

Marshall felt himself blink, not seeing past the sun spots that filled his eyes. A hand. Fingers brushing his cheek. Shade. The pain was still there but the burn began to fade as his vision darkened. Was this how death was? Marshall liked his lips. It must be. A dark death. He should have expected that. He wondered what life would be like for him on the other side, if there was any. Would he be a roaming spirit like some of his friends? Perhaps. Maybe he'd just wander around in this darkness for the rest of eternity. With nothing but blackness so thick he couldn't see his own hands. A shiver ran down his spine.

The vampire felt something move his head but he couldn't make out the shapes that gazed down at him. He wanted to scream but his lips felt as though they had been glued together. He wanted to fall into a deep sleep but the pain would slap him awake. He wanted to cry but nothing came out. Marshall Lee the vampire King had ever felt so dead in his life.

Hands. Hands all over. Or maybe that was the sun? Has it finally reached him? Marshall felt the colours above him blur as he began to fall into a black pit of nothingness. The last words he could feel himself say passed through his lips in a whisper: Fionna.


	11. Finding Neverland

Marshall first felt the softness that surrounded him. He tried to pin point what the material could have been. Satin? No, it wasn't that smooth. Maybe silk. Yeah, he'd say it was silk.

The soft and flowing feeling of the material made Marshall feel as though he were laying on the ground of the Cloud Kingdom. He imagined what his surroundings must look like. The skies a never ending dark blue and white for as far as he could see. Oh, he should move. The sun could be up at any time. But everything felt so soft and comforting.

He moved his leg and a sharp pain slice through him, causing him to hiss. The vampire opened his eyes. Instead of the Cloud Kingdom with it's floating homes and magnificent palace meeting his eyes, the walls of the Candy Castle filled his vision. In the distance, a heart monitor beeped.

Marshall's eyes went in and out of focus. The walls were bare. A hospital room. A private one, at the looks of it. He swallowed, a lump in his throat and dared to examine himself. He was in one of those stupid hospital gowns that showed off way more than they should. His leg popped out from the blankets completely wrapped in bandages, dried blood matting the wrappings to him. One arm was tied in a cast and slung close to his torso, the other bandaged and lying at his side. He felt stitches in his forehead and his back throbbed in a low ache.

The vampire moved to bring his hand to his forehead only to find the hand of a blonde glued to it. Fionna hunched over the bed fast asleep, her head buried in the blankets beside his good leg. Marshall felt his lips twitch into a smile. It quickly disappeared when he tried to piece back together what had happened to him.

He recalled the cave, the avalanche. The rocks that pierced his body and the warmth of the sun on his clothed but exposed arm and grimaced. He gave Fionna's hand a light squeeze and dared to sit up from his propped up position. Pain shot through him but he just sucked in air and let the pain slide past him. What time was it? How long had he been out?

Marshall swung his legs over the side of the bed and hissed. He glanced at Fionna and slid his hand out of hers, careful not to wake her from her slumber. The vampire stood up, grimacing, found his clothes folded with care in a chair. He worked his way into his pants with his good arm, careful not to irritate his wounds. Marshall slid the smock off and managed to get one arm into his shirt. He broke off the ling, allowing his cast free from it's home at his chest. He slide that into his sleeve.

Bothering to button his shirt for a good five minutes too long, Marshall growled and left it open, walking to the window and threw it open.

Stars twinkled at him like rebel diamonds and the smell of newly made night brushed his nose. Marshall could feel his pain subside as the Vampire King reclaimed his title as the owner of the night.

He brought his knee up and rested it on the windowsill. A groan faintly echoed through the hospital room and Marshall looked back at the sleeping figure of Fionna. Did he want to leave her? No. Never. He couldn't imagine life without her. He needed her like plants needed water and light, like living things needed air to breathe and rainbows needed colour. But maybe this wasn't meant to be? Maybe life was trying to tell them that they weren't meant to be? Maybe he was supposed to die back at the cave? Maybe they weren't supposed to meet at all?

Marshall Lee hoisted his other leg up and he stood in the windowsill. The night air caressed his skin like lustful fingers. The vampire pushed himself from the window and he flew. The stars shun like crippled jewels in the sky and flying felt so new to him. He glided over trees and rocks, villages and civilians alike.

In no time, the cave Marshall claimed his home came into view. He slowed and lowered himself to the ground yards away. The crunch of the twig beneath his shoe sounded foreign. He made his way up the street and eyed the ground below that met the cave's opening. The bat face seemed to smile at him and say "welcome home. I knew you'd be back."

The vampire didn't know how long he had been staring there, but light footsteps crunched against the ground followed by heavy breathing. "Marshall!"

Marshall turned his head. Fionna stood there, hands on knees, her breath rapid. Her eyes lit up upon seeing the vampire and Marshall turned his head away. Footsteps made their way to his side and a small hand slithered into his. Marshall slid his hand free and floated a few feet, the soles of his shoes landing on the pavement.

"Marshall?" Her voice sounded hurt and the vampire closed his eyes. "Don't, Fionna. Just...don't." Was that really his voice? Why did he sound so...broken? That wasn't him. That couldn't be him.

"Marshall...it's okay. You're save now. Everything's is going to be-"

"Alright? That's what you were going to say, right? Everything fine. You're alive. We can go back to running away again and screwing ourselves over. Is that what you were going to say?"

The vampire heard the blonde suck in air. He waited for a response but everything remained silent. He finally found the nerve to turn around, a stern look forming on his face. He bit the inside of his cheek when he saw the tears glistening on Fionna's face.

"Fionna, you need to talk with Cake and PG. You need to get things straight or...or..." Or what? He inhaled. "I'm not a toy, Fionna. I love you." Did he really? Yes...he suppose he did. The blonde looked taken aback by his words. "And...I can't live without you. But I can't live in pretend. I'm a vampire for glob's sake, Fionna! I'm a king and...and...I may not seem like it but I have a heart. It may not be beating but it feels pain and emotion just like yours does. I'm sorry if Cake and Lord Monochromicorn are treating you like a kid. I'm sorry if PG is marrying someone else and treating you the way he is. I'm sorry if things aren't going your way and I'm sorry if I'm raining on your parade right now."

Fionna averted her eyes to the ground, her face soaked from her tears. Marshall felt the frustration in him ooze out and he ran fingers through his hair. "I love you Fionna. And I always will. I'm here when you need me but I can't keep running away from you every time you don't want to face responsibilities. The world can be an unfair place. Things won't go your way and sometimes the hardest thing to do is tell the truth. The world needs you. You're the bravest and most honest person that has walked Ooo. I don't want you to become something I know you're not. If you want to go ahead and run away once all of this has settled down, then fine. I won't stop you. But I'm not joining you. If you want to face your fears and responsibilities, then take my hand and I'll be there every step of the way to catch you when you fall. But only if you promise me you'll never run away again." Marshall Lee reached his arm out and licked his lips. "You decide."

The vampire watched Fionna raise her eyes and stare at his hand. Her own twitched in its place and she looked behind her then back at him. The tears had stopped and Marshall could almost hear the words being screamed in her head. 'What will you choose? What will you choose?'


	12. Finders Keepers

Marshall brought the last of the boxes into his home and wiped sweat off of his brow with his wrist. His home looked so different now. So much more packed. Extra objects had been placed on the walls, furniture placed messily around the downstairs room and boxes littered whatever free space the room did have.

The vampire stretched and winced. His arm had gotten better, but scars from the third degree burns he had obtained ran up and down his arm and lightly on one side of his face. It was ugly to look at. Well, for Marshall it was. Sometimes if he closed his eyes, he could feel the light sting that still seemed to radiate through his body. Mocking him. Reminding him that it would never be the same as it used to be. Thankfully he could still play his bass and do other mundane things, but every time he reached out that arm and the scars showed, it was just a slap in the face to his pride.

Light pitter patter of footsteps echoed through the cave and a smile played on his lips. The burn disappeared from his mind and he floated towards the front door. The site made his feet touch the ground and his smile faded to a grin.

Fionna stood there with a smile on her face and a dreamy look in her eye. Cake and Lord Monochromicorn carried the rest of the boxes up to the house. Marshall floated above Fionna and over to the couple, taking a few of the packages.

"You better keep an eye out on my baby or I'll never forgive you, Marshall Lee." Cake jabbed his ribs with a finger. He let out an "oomph." Satisfied, Cake beamed and pulled the vampire into a tight hug. Surprised washed over Marshall and he wrapped his arms around the cat, smiling. "Don't worry, I will. You can count on it."

Cake let go and patted his head. Marshall watched Monochromicorn bring the rest of the boxes inside. "Thanks for helping us out, Cake. Wouldn't have done it without you."

The cat waved her hand and made a noise. "Anytime, baby cakes. Call us if you need anything."

"Don't worry, we have you on speed dial."

Cake beamed. Fionna walked up to the cat and bent down. The two sisters stared at one another for a long moment before snatching each other up into a tight embrace.

"I'm going to miss you, Cake. So much. Promise you'll visit?"

"I promise, sugar cubes. I'll always be here for you whenever you need me."

Cake let go and wiped a stray tear from Fionna's face. "I know the past few months have been hard and I am so sorry for not realizing how much it was hurting you. Instead of running away, you should have told me." Fionna looked away, ashamed. Cake tugged on her arm. "But I am proud of you for wising up and realizing your mistakes and finding what makes you truly happy." Cake glanced at Marshall.

Fionna stood up, sniffled, and smiled. "I love you, Cake. So much."

"I love you too, babe."

Cake whistled at Mono and the two turned towards the mouth of the cave. The cat turned and winked at the couple before she and her boyfriend took off into the night, leaving the vampire and the adventuress alone.

Marshall felt petite fingers find their way into his hand and he closed his own around them. The vampire turned and made eye contact with the blonde standing beside them. For a moment, they just took one another in. Marshall coughed into his fist, feeling a blush rising in his cheeks.

"Have you eaten?"

"Hardly."

"Well, we have food in the fridge. Or we can run and get something if you like."

Fionna smiled and leaned into the vampire. "I'm tired of running. Let's eat in tonight."

Marshall felt himself grin. He leaned in and kissed the girl sweetly on the lips. "Fine by me."

The blonde led the vampire into the house and Marshall took a moment to glance at the mouth of the cave. A breeze whistled through the teeth of the tavern and brushed through Marshall's hair. He smelt the coming of fall approaching faster than it had the year prior. The year that a certain blonde bunny changed the course of his life.

Closing the door, Marshall turned and smelt the delicious sent of pink lemon aide, salmon, and velvet cake being made in the kitchen. Faint humming reached his ears and suddenly, he knew everything would be okay. Fionna was his. All his. And he knew that nothing in this world would make them run away again.


End file.
